Sitting behind the Syracuse table in August at Big East football media day, Doug Marrone was an afterthought.

He was also the leader of The Little Engine That Couldn’t. The team no one thought would make a bowl.

Here he was, sitting with his trademark obstinate look and adamant words. At times, it was a frustrating trademark the SU fans and media grew accustomed to in the ensuing season. The trademark that said nothing and kept his team’s cards as close to its vest as Phil Ivey.

But little did most know, he about to be the engineer of that train metaphor Greg Robinson wished he was — professed he was — in Robinson’s final appearance in front of the press as SU’s head coach.

‘We need to turn this thing around quick. We need to get to a bowl,’ Marrone said at media day in Newport, R.I. ‘If we don’t go to a bowl, I will be very disappointed. … Yes, I think I can stand on that statement. It’s the truth. As long as you tell the truth.’

That was one of the head coach’s pointed statements, which hinted SU could. The Orange ultimately did, qualifying for a bowl for the first time since 2004. Marrone got to 7-5, despite a lackluster finish to the year. But it was a finish, for the second year in a row, facilitated by SU injuries. There simply weren’t enough bodies. It wasn’t Marrone’s fault.

He came through on the preposterous promise. For that reason, the 2010 season was an overwhelming success. Five words Marrone repeated time and time again in Newport told the story of the season to come:

‘Much more competitive this year.’

At that table, three players joined him: Ryan Bartholomew, Rob Long and Derrell Smith. They were afterthoughts, as well. Syracuse, quite possibly, was the team people had the least interest in as the Big East season was about to start.

The Orange was picked seventh out of eight teams, only ahead of a Louisville team whose head coach was new and a fresh face to talk to.

Marrone deflected questions about Delone Carter, who still wasn’t with the team or university, out on leave for allegedly assaulting another Syracuse student. Regional media members grilled him on Ryan Nassib’s merits. The other remedial talk referred to his new role as one of SU’s offensive playcallers.

That was the extent of the talk. But still, every time a reporter approached Marrone, he would break into the trademark response. It was the first sign of the Marrone approach. Marrone 2010.

Syracuse football 2010.

He harped on things some thought were outlandish — namely striving for a bowl. Most media members had heard the headline news. The grim news:

• Syracuse practiced in the spring with only 49 non-specialist scholarship players. How could a team that low numbers-wise win seven games?

• How could a team with its best player, Carter, apart from it have made the proper progression to start the season well? Nevermind produce a winning record.

• But more importantly, how could Syracuse — Syracuse, the perennial laughingstock of the Big East — get to a bowl less than two years after its coach compared himself to The Little Engine That Could?

Greg Robinson couldn’t. Doug Marrone could. And with that scene at a press conference, the Hotel Viking was jolted with the proclamation that Syracuse needed to make a bowl game. Or the season would be a fail.

The season wasn’t a fail, evidenced by the conference’s No. 2 defense and an offense that, prior to Alec Lemon’s hand injury, was at its best numerically since 2003.

A fail would be a program not about to embark on the coming month. A month that is 99 percent likely to soak up Manhattan glitz, thanks to a berth in the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl. On Dec. 30, SU is all but assured to finally be New York’s football team. For one day at least, the bright New York lights will be tinted a shade of Orange.

The game is being played in the Bronx, though — Marrone’s home borough. And even with all of the attention his program will get, Marrone will deflect it with his Bronx-bred ‘nose to the grindstone’ mindset.

He’ll be the same as he was in Newport. It’ll be the trademark. It’ll be a reflection of the season that showed SU could.

The train is on the right track.

Tony Olivero is an assistant sports editor at The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at aolivero@syr.edu.

Published on December 1, 2010 at 12:00 pm